1. unmoving, inert, quiescent. 2. soundless, mute. Still,quiet,hushed,noiseless,silent indicate the absence of noise and of excitement or activity accompanied by sound. Still indicates the absence of sound or movement: The house was still.Quiet implies relative freedom from noise, activity, or excitement: a quiet engine; a quiet vacation.Hushed implies the suppression of sound or noise: a hushed whisper.Noiseless and silent characterize that which does not reveal its presence or movement by any sound: a noiseless footstep; silent dissent.4. pacific, placid, serene. 8. quiet, hush, calm. 18. See but1 . 19. quiet, mute, stifle, muffle, smother. 20. soothe, pacify.

Old English stille; related to Old Saxon, Old High German stilli, Dutch stollen to curdle, Sanskrit sthānús immobile

still2

/stɪl/

noun

1.

an apparatus for carrying out distillation, consisting of a vessel in which a mixture is heated, a condenser to turn the vapour back to liquid, and a receiver to hold the distilled liquid, used esp in the manufacture of spirits

2.

a place where spirits are made; distillery

Word Origin

C16: from Old French stiller to drip, from Latin stillāre, from stilla a drip; see distil

still

adj.

Old English stille "motionless, stationary," from West Germanic *steljaz (cf. Old Frisian, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch stille, Dutch stil, Old High German stilli, German still), from root *stel- "fixed, not moving, standing" (see stall (n.1)). Meaning "quiet, silent" emerged in later Old English. Euphemistic for "dead" in stillborn, etc. Still small voice is from KJV:

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. [1 Kings 19:11-13]

"quietness, the silent part," c.1600 (in still of the night), from still (adj.). Meaning "ordinary photo" (as distinguished from a motion picture) is attested from 1916.

v.

"to calm," Old English stillan, from stille "at rest" (see still (adj.)). Cognate with Old Saxon stillian, Old Norse stilla, Dutch, Old High German, German stillen. Related: Stilled; stilling.

adv.

"even now, even then, yet" (e.g. still standing there), 1530s, from still (adj.) in the sense "without change or cessation, continual" (c.1300); the sense of "even, yet" (e.g. still more) is from 1730. Used as a conjunction from 1722.